[2024 National Audit] Education Committee Hearing Turns into 'Jeong Geun-sik Confirmation Hearing'... "Land Managed by Brothers"

Jeong Geun-sik on 'Suspected Violation of Farmland Act' Inquiry
"Working on Owned Land on Weekends"
AI Textbook "Will Review Carefully"
"Cho Hee-yeon 85 Points, Innovation Education Abstract"

At the National Assembly Education Committee meeting held on the 22nd, members from both ruling and opposition parties focused their scrutiny on Jeong Geun-sik, the Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. When questioned about allegations of violating the Farmland Act concerning land he owns, Superintendent Jeong rebutted, saying, "I do not understand why this is an issue."

Superintendent Jeong made these remarks during the National Assembly Education Committee’s audit of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education, and Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, responding to questions from Jeong Seong-guk, a member of the People Power Party.

On the 11th, during an EBS TV debate, he stated that he owns a 150-pyeong (approximately 495 square meters) weekend farm in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, where he farms every weekend. However, his opponent and the media raised suspicions that the farmland exceeded the permitted size for weekend farms and that he was not personally farming the land.

On this day, Assemblyman Jeong claimed that the background in a photo released by Superintendent Jeong during his candidacy was not his own land but adjacent land owned by someone else. In response, Superintendent Jeong said, "This is land where my siblings and I meet once a week to strengthen our bonds," adding, "The fence itself is unified."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

When Assemblyman Jeong asked again, "Isn't the ownership different?" Superintendent Jeong reiterated, "I do not understand why this is a problem. We have enclosed the land with one fence, and there is no distinction like this is my land and that is my brother’s land."

Assemblyman Jeong also revealed recent photos of the farmland owned by Superintendent Jeong. When asked, "Why did black plastic suddenly appear within ten days?" Superintendent Jeong replied, "I went there and worked on Saturday (the 19th)."

Assemblyman Jeong criticized, "Superintendent Jeong did not cultivate on lot 203 (his own land) but farmed on someone else’s land, effectively leaving his own land fallow. This violates the Farmland Act and deceives the public by pretending to farm."

In response, Education Committee Chair Kim Young-ho said, "From the photos, it may not look like Superintendent Jeong’s land, but it appears proven that he has always managed the land, whether it is his own or his siblings’."

On the same day, Superintendent Jeong stated regarding the Artificial Intelligence Digital Textbooks (AIDT) to be introduced by subject in elementary, middle, and high schools starting next year, "We will review this carefully." When Democratic Party lawmaker Go Min-jeong asked about his thoughts on the full introduction of AIDT next year, Superintendent Jeong said, "AIDT is not only an issue for the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education but also requires exchanging opinions and discussions with other superintendents. We will have careful discussions with the provincial superintendents’ meeting and the Ministry of Education in November to reach a better conclusion."

When asked about his stance on the fact that hundreds of millions of won in taxes were spent on this by-election due to the loss of office of former Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon, he said it was "regrettable and unfortunate."

When Assemblyman Kim asked how many points he would give to former Superintendent Cho, he replied, "I would give about 85 points." Superintendent Jeong evaluated, "(Former Superintendent Cho) worked hard for the normalization of public education and creative, future-oriented education through innovative education. I also think there was more consideration for social minorities."

However, he added, "The term ‘innovative education’ is abstract and ambiguous, so it is true that Seoul citizens did not fully understand it," and said, "Based on ten years of effort, I will respond to the demands of many citizens in a new way."

In his greeting on the day, Superintendent Jeong said, "Through various policies implemented by Seoul education, we will create an environment that gives students dreams, teachers pride, and parents trust."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.